


After "A Day in the Life"

by Sdhuskerfan



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Affairs, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Honesty, Regret, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:55:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29866026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sdhuskerfan/pseuds/Sdhuskerfan
Summary: This takes place immediately after "A Day in the Life", the episode where Bill reflects on his wedding anniversary.
Relationships: Lee "Apollo" Adama/Laura Roslin, Tory Foster/Laura Roslin, William Adama/Laura Roslin, William Adama/Saul Tigh
Comments: 25
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have enjoyed reading so many stories that I decided to finally write one of my own. It has been a very long time since I have done any creative writing, so please forgive the clunkiness as I shake off the rust. I have had a lot of fun writing this and will add chapters every few days.

“Admiral, are we done for the evening?” Laura inquired as she sat across from Bill at the table in his quarters. It had been an incredibly long day for her, first dealing with the quorum and Vice President Zarek, debating the possibility of rationing certain goods, plus the fleet issues she and Bill had been discussing for the past two hours as they both nibbled at dinner. 

“I think that’s enough for tonight, Madam President.” Bill walked to his drink cart and poured himself a glass of ambrosia. “Laura, would you care for a drink?”

“Thought you’d never ask, Bill” she replied with a warm smile. With drinks in hand, they both relocated to the sofa to relax. Laura kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs beneath her, making herself comfortable so that she could force thoughts of the fleet from her mind. This was their customary activity after a lengthy discussion, one she looked forward to because it gave them both the opportunity to just be Bill and Laura. No more discussions of cylons, fleet problems, politics, or a host of other topics that could weigh them down. Sometimes they read, occasionally they played cards, sometimes they just sat together quietly, but no matter the activity, they always enjoyed this time together. After several minutes of comfortable silence and multiple sips of ambrosia, Laura began to unwind. “Bill, will we ever catch a break?” she sighed.

“I think we’ve caught several. We’ve replenished our food supplies, trained new pilots, survived Baltar’s presidency, fought back the - “

“No, Bill. I mean me and you,” she interrupted as she changed position to face him. Resting her elbow on the back of the sofa, she leaned her head to the side and looked into the calm blue pools of Bill’s eyes, a place she often found herself seeking sanctuary. After setting her glass of ambrosia on the coffee table, she reached for Bill’s hand and lightly touched him with her fingertips. “Let’s talk about our night on New Caprica.”

Bill instantly relaxed as a small smile spread across his face at the memory. “We both put humanity’s needs before our own,” he stated.

“Yes, we have a tendency to do that,” she agreed.

Bill nodded his head and took a slow sip of ambrosia. “That night on New Caprica, you weren’t the president anymore. You were Laura and you didn’t carry the burdens of humanity with you any longer.” He reflected for a moment. “That was only the second time I had seen you as the woman that you really are.”

“When was the first time?” she inquired, her inquisitive green eyes meeting his soft gaze.

“When we danced at Colonial Day. I began to see you as someone other than the president of the colonies. The way we swayed and held onto each other, we fit together perfectly that night.”

Laura smiled as she recalled the warmth she felt when they danced at Colonial Day. What had started as a single dance, sort of a courtesy, had turned into several dances, each one a little bit closer, slightly more intimate. That night was special to her because at the time she knew it might be the last time she was in the arms of a man, and not just any man, a man that had gone from having little confidence in her to fully supporting and respecting her as she grew into the role of president. She took a sip of ambrosia and returned the glass to the coffee table. “I did a good job of messing that up, didn’t I, Bill?” she laughed. “We weren’t fitting together at all when you threw me in the brig a few days later!”

“No, we sure weren’t!” he agreed with a chuckle and a kindly smile. “At the time, I told Saul you were dangerous because you had managed to turn Kara against me and prompted her to go against my orders.” He paused, taking another sip of ambrosia. “Truth is, that wasn’t the only reason you were dangerous. I started to have other feelings for you and couldn’t risk losing my objectivity.”

Laura’s face lit up as she caught Bill’s gaze. He had a tendency to lose himself in her eyes with her ability to look straight through to his soul. “Hmm, I see, Bill. I’m happy that we were able to put that difficult time behind us. I can’t imagine we would have gotten as far as we have the past few years if we hadn’t found common ground and began truly working together and trusting one other.” After a few moments of silence, Laura began to giggle. 

“What’s so funny?” Bill asked with a warm smile. Her laugh had the ability to warm his soul every time he heard it and he felt privileged that she was secure enough with him to let her defenses down.

“How did we go from you throwing me into the brig to getting drunk and high on New Caprica? “she snorted.

Bill rubbed his forehead and laughed. “It was quite the journey, wasn’t it? I remember seeing you in that red dress for the first time. You took my breath away, Laura. No other woman has done that to me, I was completely captivated by you. Maybe - ” Bill stopped abruptly and took another sip of ambrosia.

“Maybe…what? What were you going to say, Bill?” Laura asked as she rested her hand on his arm.

Bill shook his head, then leaned back into the sofa. “I was going to say that maybe it’s important to find the time to take care of our needs, too.”

“We have certain responsibilities,” she reminded him of his words from just a few days ago.

He slowly nodded his head in agreement. “We have responsibilities to the fleet and what’s left of the human race. But we are part of that human race. It’s just as important to take care of ourselves, recognize that we have our own needs… stop pushing them aside. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring, we should live the life that we’ve got while we’ve got it. Remember when you told me that on New Caprica?”

“I certainly do, Bill. But we also had a lot to drink that night and were under the influence of some powerful New Caprican herb,” she said with a grin as she lightly squeezed his arm.

Bill nodded. “That’s true. Except…I was already attracted to you before I had anything to drink or smoke that day.”

She reached for the glass of ambrosia on the coffee table hoping it would calm the butterflies that suddenly came to life in her stomach. She smiled at Bill over the rim of her glass as she took a sip. “So, Bill, you’re saying I didn’t need to get you drunk and high so that I could spend the night in your arms?” Not the most subtle approach, but she was feeling the effects of the ambrosia.

“Not then….and not now, either” he said in a soft voice as he put his glass of ambrosia on the coffee table, his cobalt blue eyes penetrating through her.

Laura choked on her drink at his stark admission, causing it to spill on her skirt. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Seems I’m the one who’s a little drunk right now! Let me run some water on this before the stain sets in,” she said as she excused herself to the head.

***

Bill wondered if he had been too direct. While it was Laura that initiated the conversation regarding that night on New Caprica, he was the one letting his walls down and being very honest about his feelings toward her, toward the possibility of having a different kind of relationship with her. Recently he realized Laura was invading his thoughts more and more and not just because she was the president of what remained of humanity. He tried to push those thoughts and feelings away, ignore them as much as he could, but it was tiring and of no use. She was in his blood, and he wanted her there. He had felt so adrift without her when he jumped away from New Caprica after the cylons arrived – it made him question what kind of man he was before the colonies fell and she crashed into his life. He recalled his first impression of her – annoying schoolteacher wanting to network his ship, daring to argue with him when he objected. At the time, he had underestimated her, a mistake he would never make again. She was the strongest woman, no, the strongest person he had ever met in his life and he admitted to himself after the exodus of New Caprica that he never wanted to be free from her again. Realizing Laura may not be ready to admit her own feelings, Bill decided not to rush things and give her some time to absorb what he had said. He treasured her friendship first and foremost and considered her his equal as they worked together to protect what was left of the human race. 

Bill stood and made his way to the head. “Laura, everything OK? You’ve been in there awhile.”

***

Laura had entered the head slightly out of breath. She quietly berated herself for being so clumsy and quickly stripped off her skirt to wash the stain in the sink. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she noticed a snag on her panties. New clothing was scarce in the fleet since they had been on the run for so long and many items were left on New Caprica during the evacuation. In one evening, she had managed to spill ambrosia on her skirt and discovered a big snag in the only pair of sexy underwear she owned. Not only that, but she had also bolted from the sofa when Bill basically told her she could spend the night with him. “Be calm, Laura” she told herself. She slipped off her thong to exam it and was relieved to find it could be easily mended. Locating the start of the snag, she pulled it through the inside of the garment and tied a knot to prevent further damage. 

Just then she heard Bill ask if she was OK. Startled once again, she dropped her panties and went back to washing the stain from her skirt. “I’m fine, just give me another minute. I can’t afford to lose one of the few skirts left in my wardrobe and I’m sure the press would have a heyday if I wore an ambrosia-stained outfit to the next press conference.”

“Let me know if you need some help. I’ve picked up a few things about cleaning garments in my time in the military – alcohol stains are plentiful. “

Laura slipped back into her skirt and straightened it as she looked in the mirror, then opened the door and stepped from the head. “I got it. A bit wet right now, but I think it will dry and be just fine.”

“Would you care for another drink?”

“No, I think I’ve had plenty for tonight,” she said with a blush before sitting back down on the sofa. Bill seated himself next to her, close, but not too close since it was obvious that she was surprised by his forthrightness earlier. As she folded her legs under her, she intentionally moved toward him so that her knee was lightly touching his thigh. “Bill, I – “

The buzzing of the wireless interrupted her. Bill rose from the sofa and answered the call. “Adama. Yes, Tory, she’s still here. Just a moment. Laura, it’s for you,” he stated as he held the phone toward her.

“Hi, Tory, is there something wrong?” After a few moments, Laura said in a frustrated tone “Tonight?” She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. No, it’s OK, we were just…discussing some fleet matters. See you soon.”

“Bill, I apologize, I need to return to Colonial One for some business that apparently has to be taken care of right away.”

“Is everything OK? Do you need me to go with you?”

Laura stepped towards Bill and took both his hands in hers. “As much as I would like that, I think we should call it a night. But I would like to continue this conversation soon.” She leaned toward him and placed a soft lingering kiss on his cheek, quietly hoping he would reciprocate.

It would have been so simple for Bill to turn his head and catch her lips with his, but he forced himself to refrain from what he desired. “You have a good night, Laura,” he said softly as he ran his thumbs across her knuckles before releasing her hands.

She turned and smiled at him over her shoulder before she stepped through the hatch. “Sweet dreams, Bill.”

***

Bill finished his drink before deciding to turn in. While brushing his teeth and preparing for bed, he noticed a small balled up piece of black fabric on the floor next to the sink. After picking it up and unfolding it, he was surprised to discover that it was a thong. A black, lacy, sexy thong to be exact. A confused grin formed across his face as he recalled Laura taking her time in the head earlier when she was cleaning the spilled ambrosia from her skirt. Thinking back to their conversation, she had been somewhat flirty with him and she seemed intent on touching him several times. His mind was trying to decipher why she would remove her panties and leave them in the head, because he couldn’t fathom how anyone could just forget to put their underwear on. This wasn’t exactly your everyday underwear, though. The effects of the ambrosia were influencing Bill’s thoughts and his mind wandered down a different path where he imagined Laura wearing nothing but these panties, or maybe these panties with a matching bra and 6-inch heels, her red hair cascading over her shoulders, green eyes ablaze as she slowly walked toward him in his quarters. He shook his head at the thought, chiding himself and thinking “Get a grip, you’re not 19 again,” as he slipped into his rack.

Thoughts of Laura and those panties crept into his mind as he lay in his rack trying to fall asleep. Did she leave them there on purpose? Why did she take them off in the first place? She said she would be back to continue the conversation – is this her idea of a hint? It’s not like her to do something like this - or maybe it is? Maybe she had something planned for when she returned to the sofa before Tory’s phone call? Bill told himself to quit obsessing – “I’m not a young viper jock anymore”. He decided to let Laura take the lead on this and not say one word about it in case it was some unusual oversight on her part.

***

“Alright, Tory, what is so important that it couldn’t wait?”

“Madam President, I need your signature on these documents before I turn in for the evening.”

Laura looked at the papers and rolled her eyes. “Tory, this surely could have waited until morning. The Admiral and I were discussing some…important matters when you called,” Laura stammered. “This is hardly worth the interruption.”

Tory glanced at the soaked hem on Laura’s skirt. “Yes, Madam President, I can see that.” She then took the signed documents and quickly left the room.

Laura exhaled in frustration because she knew it was another missed opportunity to talk about New Caprica with Bill. Her mind drifted back to that night, how she had dropped hint after hint that she was interested in having another type of relationship with him. It had been so long since she had felt the need for physical intimacy from a man, since before her cancer diagnosis. Between that devastating diagnosis and the fall of the colonies, she had pushed all those sorts of feelings aside, choosing to focus instead on trying to save humanity and run a fair and civil government. Because of her cancer, she knew she wouldn’t be around long enough or have the energy to enter any sort of physical or romantic relationship, plus it wouldn’t be fair to her suitor - it was best to keep those around her at arm’s length as she faded from this life. But then, miraculously, her cancer was cured, Baltar won the election and she was no longer president, and there was solid ground beneath her feet. She was so happy to see Bill that day on New Caprica, see that he, too, was as relaxed as she was. She felt alive that night with him, truly alive for the first time since long before the fall of the colonies. They spent that night in each other’s arms, but nothing more. Part of her regretted not making her intentions clearer, the other part of her felt that night was more about emotional intimacy, something she had never genuinely experienced with any man in the past. For that reason, the night seemed perfect.

As Laura stood in her washroom preparing for bed, she began to undress and suddenly realized something was missing. Where are my panties? Oh, my Gods. She recalled feeling slightly dizzy from the ambrosia and the heady conversation while rinsing her skirt. Then Bill startled her, she dropped her thong, and rushed back to cleaning her skirt because she wanted to get back to that soft, warm spot on the sofa next to him. Her plan had been to insinuate she was open to meeting their mutual physical needs, very willing, in fact. Tory’s phone call could not have come at a worse time. The thought of Bill finding her panties and the impression it would leave him with made her very uncomfortable. It was one thing to drop subtle hints but to brazenly leave sexy underwear on the floor could be construed as risqué. Trying to explain to him that she was so tipsy from the ambrosia and shocked by his declaration that she forgot to put her underwear back on would be unbelievably embarrassing. “Or maybe my subconscious played a role in my forgetfulness?” she asked herself. She decided to return to his quarters first chance she had to retrieve them, hopefully before he found them.

***

The following afternoon Laura stopped by Bill’s quarters while he was in the CIC. The marines allowed her entrance since she had been spending so much time there recently. She went directly to the head and began to look for her panties, but they were nowhere to be found. After another sweep, she exited the head to find Bill standing by the sofa. “Laura, I wasn’t expecting you. It’s good to see you.”

“Oh! Bill, you startled me. I left something here last night and came back to get it. I hope you don’t mind that the guards let me in.”

Bill shook his head. “I don’t mind at all, you’re always welcome here. Did you find it?”

“Actually, I haven’t yet,” she said as she glanced around the room. “That’s good, stay calm, act natural,” she silently coached herself.

“Tell me what it is - I can help you look.”

Laura studied Bill’s face closely for any sign that he knew what she had left behind. “Ummm, it was a file about rations – have you seen it? I could have sworn I took it with me last night but when I got back to Colonial One, I couldn’t find it anywhere,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Bill began to look around his quarters and after a few minutes, he stopped and looked at her curiously. “Did you think you left it in the head?”

“No, after I looked around, I needed to use the facilities and…” Laura stopped speaking and looked at the ceiling. “Gods dammit” she cursed to herself. She took a deep breath. “Alright, Bill, we both know I’m lying,” she said, avoiding all eye contact with him.

Bill clasped his hands in front of him and stood perfectly still. When Laura glanced over at him, she could almost see a sparkle in his eyes, almost. “What are you lying about?” he calmly asked.

This was one of Bill’s mannerisms that often infuriated her. How can he be so calm all the time? He could quite literally stand with his hands clasped in front of him staring at someone for an hour if he felt the need to. Laura rolled her eyes. “Bill,” she said in a derisive tone as she narrowed her gaze at him and didn’t move. 

Bill walked to a chest of drawers and slowly opened the top one, gently removing her thong. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Did you lose these last night?”

Laura could see a small smirk form on Bill’s face – he wasn’t doing a good job of hiding it. “Why is he enjoying this so much? “ she wondered. Bill’s gaze didn’t leave her face as he reached out his hand holding the thong. “You really should be more careful where you leave these,” he chided.

Bill had intended for his words and actions to be light-hearted, to make a joke of the situation so that Laura would feel at ease. Instead, she was deeply embarrassed, incensed, and, if she were being honest with herself, sort of turned on at the thought of Bill’s hands on her panties. She paused, then slowly blinked at him. Her voice was raspy as she tried to control her anger and humiliation. “I want you to know that I accidentally dropped my panties as I was mending them last night when I went into the head to wash my skirt. You startled me when you asked if I was OK, I quickly put my skirt back on, and that’s all there is to it. It was just an accident, nothing more.” She sighed and glanced down to her feet, thinking about how her tone sounded. After a few seconds of consideration, she stepped toward him, took his hand that held her panties in both of her hands, composed herself, and looked up at him. “You know what, Bill, we’re both adults.” She closed his hand over her thong. “Keep this. We can figure out later why we are both acting like a couple of high school kids. I’m going back to Colonial One now.” As Laura walked to the hatch, she looked back over her shoulder at Bill. He noticed she swung her hips a little more than usual and despite the anger she had displayed, there was a seductive air about her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing for Saul Tigh. And things are about to get a little steamy for Laura.

Bill watched her leave, annoyed, perturbed, and a little aroused. The combination of her cheekiness with the heat in her gaze as she exited his quarters got under his skin, though not all of it in a bad way. He stood alone in the middle of the room, lace panties in his fist. There was a knock at the hatch and Saul stepped in. Bill quickly shoved the panties in his pocket because if Saul caught him standing there with them, he would never live it down. 

“Admiral, we need to go over some things regarding the flight deck crew and afterwards, Mr. Gaeta would like to speak with you in the CIC.” Bill did not reply, still worked up over Laura’s provocative exit. Saul stared at him and asked “What’s eating you, Bill? You look like someone pissed in your noodles.”

“I was just meeting with the president, that’s all.”

“Wellllll, she sure got under your skin this time. Roslin has a knack for doing that, doesn’t she? Maybe it’s time you showed her who’s boss and toss her in the brig again!” Saul grinned at Bill.

A smile curled at the corners of Bill’s mouth. “Maybe I should.” He moved toward the hatch to exit his quarters; Saul close behind. 

“That’s one way to work out some frustration, Bill…” he murmured as they entered the hallway, but Bill chose to ignore him. Saul snickered behind him, knowing full well the extent of his preoccupation. He had spent enough time with Laura on New Caprica to know that she and Bill had strong feelings toward one another, even though neither seemed daring enough to act on them. The tension that had been growing around them since the exodus of that planet was so thick that Saul knew it would only be a matter of time before the dam holding back the feelings and raw desire between Laura and Bill would burst. He hoped it wouldn’t be much longer because it was becoming noticeable to other members of the fleet and he feared the press would figure it out. If he could nudge his friend in the right direction, it would benefit both Bill and Laura, and it might be easier to keep under wraps from the quorum and the press.

After discussing the issues regarding the flight deck and speaking with Mr. Gaeta, Bill and Saul piloted a raptor to Colonial One to attend Laura’s press conference regarding the announcement of new rationing rules within the fleet. Laura stood at the podium, squared her shoulders, and addressed the press head-on with information about how rations of certain goods would be cut again temporarily but quickly explained why it was necessary and how it would benefit the entire fleet. Bill always enjoyed watching Laura address the press, she presented herself so well, and she was able to spin bad news into something positive for the fleet that would allow them to continue their search for a permanent home on Earth. She was rational, logical, and strong, and the pride he felt when he watched her caused his heart to swell. 

When she opened the press conference to questions, Bill relaxed, placing his hands in his pockets. It was then he remembered hiding her lace panties in his pocket when Saul had arrived at his quarters earlier. He immediately removed his hand, but as he watched Laura answer questions from the press, he thought about her sexy thong and the way she had looked at him as she left his quarters earlier.  
Laura began to wrap up the questions when she glanced at Bill to indicate that the conference was almost over. The expression on his face caused her to stutter. She glared at him long enough to notice a tiny bit of black lace sticking out of his left pocket. 

“No more questions!” she exclaimed before she directed an irritated look at Bill. After Tory dismissed the press, Laura stepped back through the curtain that separated her office from the press room followed by Bill, Saul, Tory, and a few quorum members.

Laura barked “Admiral, a word!” as she motioned him to the back of the room out of earshot of the other four. “Bill, what was that about? What are you doing? It’s bad enough you teased me about leaving my panties in your quarters, but do you have to bring them to the press conference?” she whispered.

Bill shook his head and calmly replied “I’m not the only one guilty of teasing, Laura.”

Laura huffed loudly at his reply which caught the attention of Saul, Tory, and the two quorum delegates. She decided to pull Bill into the washroom for a more private conversation. Saul sensed the storm brewing, so he suggested to Tory and the quorum members that they all step back into the press room to give the Admiral and President some privacy. 

Laura stood facing Bill in the small washroom, her back to the wall, while he stood in front of her leaning back against the edge of the sink. “Are you 12 years old again?!” Laura exclaimed in a loud whisper. 

Bill pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, of course not. I didn’t intend for any of that to happen. I had forgotten they were in my pocket and didn’t realize it until you began to take questions from the press. I was watching you like I always do, because I admire the way you handle the reporters and…my mind wandered. For that I am sorry.”

Laura stared at Bill sizing him up before she decided he was being sincere. Her anger began to dissipate, and she sighed. “Alright, Bill, apology accepted. Please put those panties away somewhere in your quarters. I don’t need you looking at me like some horny middle schooler while I’m addressing the press.”

Bill stood and nodded his head in agreement. “They won’t leave my quarters again; you have my word.” He started toward the door, but hesitated and turned back to her. He had told himself he was not going to push her because he was unwilling to risk their friendship or damage their working relationship. However, he was struck by an urge to take a chance and felt the moment was right. “Tell me something, Laura. What do you need?”

Laura looked stunned. “What do you mean?” She searched Bill’s face for a clue to what he was thinking.

“You told me what you don’t need. I’m asking you what you do need from me.”

Laura was speechless. She could feel her entire body instantly grow warm, Bill standing just a few inches in front of her. Her heart began to pound, or was it his she felt? He let his eyes wander, first looking at her hair, then his gaze travelled to her mouth, and down her neck. He raised his left hand and brushed her cheek with his fingers, then rested it by her shoulder. He gazed into her eyes, then commanded in a whisper “Tell me what you need, Laura.” 

Laura fought hard to maintain her control, telling herself it wasn’t the time or the place to give in to the man that was tempting her, especially so soon after he had irritated the hell out of her. She held very still not daring to move because she knew if she did, her restraint would fall apart.

Bill looked into Laura’s eyes and saw the definition of stubbornness staring back at him. He held her gaze for several seconds hoping it would soften. Instead, Laura blinked and shifted her eyes down and away from him - her message clear. Bill nodded and said “I understand. I’ll go.” Even though he was disappointed, he respected her decision. When he stepped to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob, Laura suddenly grabbed his left arm and whispered, “Don’t go.”

In those few seconds between looking away from him and his attempt to leave, Laura felt a potent need to pull him back to her. She reacted instead of over-analyzing it and as soon as she gripped his arm, she felt herself losing the battle to maintain her self-control.

Bill stopped but did not look at her, leaving his hand on the doorknob. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she whispered as she pulled him back to face her. She looked at him with newfound confidence and repeated “I’m sure, Bill”. The disappointment left Bill’s face and was replaced with a curious and determined look. 

“Then I’ll stay.”

The anticipation of what would happen next was almost more than Laura could tolerate. She felt her heart hammer in her chest and her knees weaken so she placed her left hand on Bill’s shoulder to steady herself. His intense gaze burned straight through her and she fully expected, wanted, him to press her up against the wall and kiss her passionately. Instead, he removed her hand from his shoulder, intertwined their fingers, then firmly pinned her hand against the wall beside her head. He traced his left thumb from her jawline down her neck along her pulse point then across her collar bone, before whispering “Please tell me, Laura. What do you need from me?” as he leaned forward and breathed into her ear.

Laura couldn’t speak. Her body was on fire from the slight touch of his fingertips, proximity of his body to hers, and his warm breath in her ear. Her own breathing was growing erratic and all she could think about was her primal craving for physical contact. She took Bill’s hand from her shoulder and placed it on her thigh, slowly guiding it up underneath her skirt, stopping midway before removing her hand from his. She then placed her hand on his cheek as she directed her fiery gaze into his eyes. Bill held her there for a moment as her eyes pleaded with him. “No, Laura. Tell me what you need. I want to hear you say it.”

He wasn’t making this easy for her. She had never openly spoken of her desires with him. Sure, she dropped hints in the past, just like that night on New Caprica, but to tell a man, this man, what she needed was new to her. It was exhilarating, but frightening, and, for whatever reason, it made her desire him even more. This time there was no alcohol or herb to explain it away, yet she was barely coherent - drunk on Bill’s closeness, his scent, his electrifying touch. “I want you to touch me, Bill. Please, I need you to touch me,” she whispered breathlessly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For mature audiences only - things get quite steamy in the washroom. Laura can't quite ever predict what Bill will or will not do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much I love writing Saul Tigh?

After several minutes, the two quorum members dismissed themselves to return to their ships. Tory worked on some filing, while Saul stood by a window watching the fleet. “What do you suppose that is about?” Tory asked and nodded back at the curtain to Laura’s quarters. 

Saul shook his head “Who knows. It’s obvious something is eating at the both of them.”

“They should get a room already and get past this” Tory replied nonchalantly. Saul grinned and started to snicker. Before long, Tory joined in and they both were laughing together uncontrollably. “It’s that obvious, isn’t it?” chuckled Saul. 

“It is to me! I used to think that they would get together on New Caprica when the Admiral could get planet-side, but then it just never seemed to happen for them,” Tory replied. “I don’t understand why they were holding back. She was no longer president, there weren’t any conflicts of interest.”

“Well, knowing the Old Man, they were both caught up in being overly cautious. No doubt Laura would run for president again someday, and with Bill being on Galactica most of the time, he probably didn’t feel he could give her the attention she deserved. His marriage fell apart over his time in space, probably didn’t want the same thing to happen,” Saul explained.

Tory replied, “They both deserve to be happy. Find time for themselves, time away from worrying about everyone else. They already lean on each other so much. It’s obvious they care deeply for one another. I hope that whatever is happening in the washroom helps them realize they can’t keep going on like they have been.”

“I wonder what exactly is happening in that washroom” Saul stated, and then began laughing again. Tory rolled her eyes and joined in.

***

“Please, Bill. Please touch me,” Laura whispered, her eyes pleading, her body throbbing from her desire. She ached for him so badly that she was begging. 

Bill moved his thumb in small circles on her thigh, then whispered in her ear “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

He released her left hand from the wall and slowly ran his fingers down her side, then slipped his hand underneath the hem of her skirt, pushing it up to her waist. She shuddered as he gently lifted her right leg up over his hip as his free hand brushed the outside of her panties. Lightly running his fingers there, he noticed how her panties were already soaked with her desire. He groaned when she gasped at his touch. With a quick tug, Bill pulled her panties down just enough to slip his hand inside. He parted her folds and used his fingers to slowly circle her entrance, teasing her, not ready to explore inside her yet. Occasionally he allowed his thumb to brush her sensitive nub, but quickly moved it away as she reacted heavily from the slightest touch. 

“Bill, please, I need you to –“

Bill slid his index finger into her which caused a moan to escape from Laura’s lips. He quickly withdrew his hand and kissed her to stifle her moan. “Shhhhh, you can’t be too loud.” Laura had completely forgotten there were people in the next room. All she could think about was Bill driving her wild and finding her release. “I’ll be more careful” she whispered before she pressed her lips to his.

Bill slipped his index finger back inside of her and began rubbing his thumb in circles around her nub. Laura used one hand to knot Bill’s hair on the back of his head and placed the other on his shoulder for support as her legs began to shake from his continued attention. After he slipped another finger inside of her, he picked up the pace of his thumb teasing her nub. When he curled his fingers, he knew he had found the sensitive area inside of her when Laura began to hum spontaneously. His fingers were stretching her as they worked over her special spot, his pace absolutely perfect. Laura’s head dropped back allowing Bill to take advantage of her exposed neck, running his lips and the tip of his tongue along her jawline and down her neck to her collar bone. “Gods, Bill!” she exclaimed in a sharp pitch as her orgasm shattered her body. Bill kept her from falling by wrapping his left arm around her waist as he continued to thrust his fingers into her while her walls spasmed around them. She buried her face into his neck as she went limp. “I’ve got you, Laura. I won’t let you fall,” he whispered softly in her ear.

After gently removing his hand from her, Bill embraced her until her breathing returned to normal and they both regained some composure. “You’re so beautiful, Laura,” he stated before he pressed his lips to hers. It was a tender kiss, a caring kiss, maybe even a loving kiss. It was flawless. Bill gently pulled her panties back into place and helped smooth her skirt for her. 

“Bill, that was amazing - “, her statement cut off when he pressed his lips to hers again. His tongue traced along her bottom lip and then tangled with hers as she welcomed him. They eventually broke the kiss, pressing their foreheads together as they both gasped for air. Bill then placed soothing kisses on each of her cheeks and her forehead, then smiled at her. “We should get back to the others”.

They exited the washroom and found that everyone had left her office but they could hear laughter coming from the press room. When they stepped through the curtain, Tory and Saul stopped laughing and stared at them with goofy smiles plastered on their faces.

“S’pose we should get back to Galactica, Admiral?” asked Saul. 

“Yes, Colonel, we should head back. Madam President, let me know if you need anything else from me in the future.” Laura smiled what she was sure was a smitten schoolgirl smile along with a blush. “Will do, Admiral. Perhaps we can have dinner tomorrow to discuss some more ideas I have for rationing?” 

Tory began to object. “Madam President, you have meetings with quorum delegates all through dinner tomorrow and – “. 

“Reschedule them, Tory. I’m sure you can come up with an excuse.”

“Yes, Ma’am” Tory stated as she gave a sideways glance to Saul, who grinned back at her. 

***

Saul and Bill sat alone in the raptor in silence as they piloted themselves back to Galactica. Saul suddenly stopped the raptor and turned to Bill. “Everything alright, Bill?”

Setting the book down that he had been pretending to read, Bill replied “Everything is fine.”

Saul nodded his head but did not start back to Galactica.

“Everything OK with you, Saul?”

“Oh, yeh, everything’s just dandy. Couldn’t be better” he stated as he stared out the cockpit window. 

“Then why aren’t we headed back to Galactica?”

“Thought maybe you wanted to talk.”

“No.”

“I see.”

“Give me the controls. You’re my best friend, Saul, but there are other people I’d rather spend my time with floating in a raptor in space.”

After switching pilot control over to Bill, Saul noticed something protruding from his left pocket. “Is that black lace?” he asked himself. “Well, what do we have here?!” he exclaimed as he pulled the object from Bill’s pocket to discover a sexy piece of lingerie.

Bill immediately stopped the raptor and stared straight ahead through the cockpit window.

Saul raised his eyebrows at Bill. “Well? Care to tell me what you and the President were up to this evening?”

“That’s none of your business. And those panties have nothing to do with it.”

“Let’s see” he said as he held the panties up and examined them as they dangled from his finger. “These aren’t exactly your size, or style, Bill. They do look like they might fit the President, though.”

“SAUL!” Bill narrowed his eyes at him.

Saul grinned. “Are you telling me they belong to someone else? Is that why the President was so upset with you tonight?”

“No! Saul, drop this!”

Saul let the panties fall from his finger to the floor of the raptor. Bill reached down and grabbed them, tucking them in his right pocket away from him. 

Saul stared at him for a while, then sighed in exasperation. “I’m not dropping this, Bill. You and Roslin have been tiptoeing along that line for over a year now. I’m not the only one who has noticed.”

Bill shot him an irritated look. “Who else? Are you telling me other people have noticed?”

“Tory, for one, but I suppose that’s to be expected. Lee, Kara, a few others. Bill, talk to me. It’s only a matter of time before the quorum or the press become suspicious.” 

Bill pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath and said “They belong to Laura. They were in my pocket because…it was an accident.”

“Accident?! Must have been some accident for her panties to wind up in your pocket!”

Bill glowered at him.

Saul became serious. “Look, Bill, I’m trying to help you. I spent a lot of time with Laura on New Caprica. She is one hell of a woman and you know I don’t say that about just anyone. That woman cares about you and it’s obvious you care about her. You are so happy around her, happier than you ever were with Carolanne even in the beginning of your marriage.”

“I wasn’t aware that you spent that much time with her.”

“Ohhh, yehhhh, me and about half the men on that gods-forsaken planet. That woman has needs, you know.” Saul tried but failed to hide his smirk.

Bill glared at him again.

“What, you think you’re the first guy to score a pair of presidential panties?”

Bill closed his eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle at Saul’s poor attempt at humor. “Gods, Saul, you’re the worst!”

“You think I’m making this up? She could give Ellen a run for her money!” Saul quipped, but then realized what he had said. Ellen. His expression turned from light-hearted razzing to pure grief in a split second. 

Bill gripped Saul’s arm for a moment before he spoke. “I wish there was something I could do for you. I know you loved Ellen with all your being, and she loved you as well.”

Saul nodded his head in acknowledgment and stared out the window. 

“You’re a good man, Saul. I don’t want you to ever forget that. For a time, I think you did but you’ve found yourself again. We can have a drink when we get back to Galactica and talk in my quarters. I might even tell you how those panties wound up in my pocket.”

Saul smiled and began piloting the raptor back to Galactica. “I’d like that, Bill. Can’t wait to hear about this unfortunate accident Laura had with those sexy panties. And, for the record, I think there are people way worse than me you could be stuck in a raptor with.”

“I can’t think of anyone.”

“Baltar.”

Bill nodded. “You have a point.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that they've gotten a bit more comfortable, things heat up even more. Another chapter for mature audiences only.

Laura arrived early for dinner with Bill the following night. She had received some feedback on the implementation of the new rationing rules and had several ideas about how to address some immediate problems so that things could be adjusted and run more smoothly. Bill called Saul to his quarters so that he could provide his own input and once the adjustments were agreed upon, Bill dismissed him so that he could begin implementing the modified rules starting with Galactica. 

“I’ll get on this right away, Admiral. You have a good evening. You, too, Madam President.” Saul turned to leave, then suddenly stepped back and scanned Bill’s quarters as if he was looking for something. 

Bill watched him suspiciously. “Is there something else, Colonel?”

“Ahhh, no, Admiral, I was just making sure I didn’t _accidentally_ forget something.” He winked at Bill before he quickly disappeared through the hatch.

Laura turned to Bill with her hands on her hips and stared at him, the same stare she used on children that misbehaved in her classroom when she taught elementary school. “You _told_ him?!”

“Only after he found them.”

“You were supposed to put them away in your quarters.”

“He found them on the raptor ride back to Galactica last night. Saw them sticking out of my pocket and pulled them out before I could stop him. I tried to get him to drop the subject, but he wouldn’t let it be. We talked for a while, then he mentioned Ellen – you should have seen him, Laura. He was so devastated at the thought of Ellen. We wound up back here having a few drinks and I told him how I found your panties on the floor.”

Laura shook her head at Bill.

“What was I supposed to do? Think about it - he has been my best friend for over 30 years, I’m the only family he has left. He’s finally coming to grips with what happened with Ellen, starting to be Saul again. I’m not going to shut him out.”

Laura could see Bill’s point. “You’re a good friend to have, Bill. I got to know the Colonel better on New Caprica and while we didn’t agree on everything, we did trust each other and learned to work together. I even worked with Ellen a few times. Saul’s lucky to have you in his life.”

“And you, too, Laura. Last night he told me he thinks you’re one hell of a woman.’’

“He actually said that?”

“He did, and if he wants to have a little fun at our expense, then let him. He won’t tell anyone else, he’s not that type of man.”

Laura smiled at Bill and walked to him, put her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. “You’re a wonderful man, William Adama” she said after she broke the kiss. Bill wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer, pressing his lips against hers, a little tentatively at first. Laura nibbled at his bottom lip and flicked her tongue against his inviting him to deepen the kiss. He was more than happy to accept her invitation.

After breaking the kiss, Laura spoke in a low tone “I was thinking, Bill, I owe you from last night.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Laura,” Bill smiled, but he was curious what she was thinking.

“I don’t want you to think I’m not interested in satisfying you.”

“Who says I wasn’t satisfied?”

“Bill, really,” Laura snorted. “Tonight, it’s your turn.” She leaned forward and spoke in his ear, barely above a whisper “So, Bill, tell me what you need”. She then kissed him deeply before he could answer. As their tongues tangled, she worked on the buttons of his uniform top, desperate to feel underneath. After their encounter in her washroom the previous night, she decided she could never get enough of Bill touching her, or her touching him. She fell asleep that night dreaming of running her hands along his bare chest and arms, then scratching his back as he pinned her to the bulkhead, furiously frakking her until she was helpless and could barely moan his name because her body was so spent after being racked with multiple orgasms.

Bill broke their kiss, then walked to the chest of drawers in his quarters. He pulled open the top drawer much like he had the day before and withdrew her thong. ‘I need you to put these on.”

Bill took Laura by the hand and led her to the sofa where he seated himself and positioned her so that she stood directly in front of him. He slowly ran his hands from her calves to her thighs, caressing them along the way, then up beneath her skirt. Laura’s eyes were ablaze as she gazed down upon him, relishing the feel of his strong warm hands stroking her legs. He reached the top of her underwear where he paused, running his fingers lightly just underneath the elastic band. He slowly began to pull her panties down, running his thumbs along her inner thighs as he did so, then all the way down to her ankles. He held one foot and then the other, helping her step out of the panties.

Laura shed her suit jacket and began to unbutton her blouse. Bill took her thong and guided each of her feet through the leg holes, then began pulling it up into place as his thumbs once again dragged along her inner thighs, stopping just outside of her folds. Once the thong was in position, he squeezed her ass in both his hands and kissed her now exposed stomach, licking her naval and swirling around it with his tongue. “ _This man’s tongue has the ability to destroy me”_ she thought to herself.

Laura stepped back from Bill and reached behind her to unzip her skirt, never breaking eye contact with him. She let her skirt drop to the floor and stepped out of it, careful not to tear it with her heels. Her blouse fell off her arms and landed on the floor next to her skirt. There she stood, just like in Bill’s fantasy when he first found her panties on the floor of the head: wavy red hair cascading across her shoulders, black lacy thong, matching black bra, high heels, her fiery gaze burning through him.

Bill was astonished by the vision before him. She slowly walked to him, took his hand, and pulled him up off the sofa. “You’re overdressed” she whispered as she helped him out of his uniform top and tugged at his tanks, pulling them over his head.

She ran her hands over his bare chest, just like in her dream, except she had not anticipated how genuinely warm his skin would feel beneath her fingertips. She lingered there, rubbing her hands on him, kissing his chest, soaking in his scent. His skin was taut over his broad chest and muscular arms and Laura could feel heat and strength radiating from him. She was lost in the moment as her senses were overwhelmed absorbing him with her eyes, her mouth, her hands, and her nose. She forced her attention back to Bill’s needs and looked up at him. “Please tell me what you need.”

Bill suddenly grabbed her around the waist and started to walk her backwards toward his desk. With a swipe of his arm, he cleared the top of his desk and sat her on the edge, kissing her deeply. Laura grabbed at his ass, then let her hand travel to his front between his legs, grazing her hand against his balls, then up along the bulky swell in his pants. Bill pushed her down gently, flat on her back on top of the desk, then grabbed both of her arms, and pinned them above her head. “I need you to leave your hands up here” he growled in her ear. He hovered over her, kissing her thoroughly, then moved his lips down her neck, stopping between her breasts. Taking his time there, he dragged his tongue between her breasts as he lightly cupped them with his hands. As he ran his thumb over the hardened nipple of one breast, he kissed the other breast and nibbled at it with his lips. Finally, he pulled her bra cup aside and took one nipple lightly between his teeth as he rolled the other nipple between his thumb and index finger, softly pinching.

Laura whimpered and wrapped her legs around Bill as he continued to stimulate her breasts with his mouth and fingers. He had ordered her to leave her hands above her head, but she no longer had the willpower to comply. She reached down and tangled her fingers in his thick hair as she whispered his name and dug her heels into his back, losing what little control she had left. She began to tug at his hair, to pull him toward her to kiss him again, angling her hips so she could rub against him, but he resisted. “Not yet, Laura. I need to taste you,” he said, a roguish grin on his face.

Bill lightly kissed a trail from between her breasts down her stomach, stopping again at her naval, swirling his tongue around it. The anticipation was killing Laura. His attention to her breasts had her so worked up already she was certain she would orgasm as soon as his talented tongue began to work between her legs. Bill kissed a path from her naval to below her left hip bone where he took a small bite, followed with a kiss, then another nibble, repeating the cycle until he had left his mark.

He reached to the side and rolled his desk chair behind him so that he could sit down and focus all his attention between her legs. He spread them as wide as they would go, then lifted her feet up so that her heels rested on his shoulders. With the tip of his tongue, he slowly traced a wet path up each of her inner thighs, stopping just outside the fabric of her thong, then gently sucked a spot on her delicate skin. Laura began to tremble and pant. “You doing OK?” he murmured. She nodded her head and was able to croak “Exquisite”. Bill slipped his index finger underneath the narrow thong strap and pulled it away from her body and to the side. He began kissing a path up her inner thigh again, but this time he didn’t stop when he reached her heat. He flicked the tip of his tongue against her nub, causing Laura to gasp loudly as her hips bucked in response.

Bill backed off to give her time to adapt to the sensations he was instigating. He kissed the inside of her thigh again, then lightly kissed her folds. She shuddered slightly, but then settled as he continued lightly placing kisses on her folds and thighs. Sensing that she was calmer, he used his tongue to slowly circle her entrance, tasting her juices which were flowing freely from inside her. She shuddered again, so he was patient and took his time. When she felt she was ready for more, she reached down and twisted her fingers in his hair, pushing his mouth further into her, letting him know she was ready.

Bill did not hesitate, licking her with the tip of his tongue from her entrance up to her nub, circling it a few times, and back down to her entrance again where he thrust his tongue inside of her. He kept doing this in a well-paced rhythm until her hips began to grind into his face, riding the sensation of his tongue. He could feel the muscles in her thighs tensing as she began to babble between gasps. “Gods…Bill…Mmmhh…Amazing…Oh…soooo good…getting close…” Bill increased his rhythm and held Laura’s hips down until she screamed his name as she climaxed. He lapped at her entrance, reveling in the sweet taste and scent of her release, then kissed her folds and inner thighs throughout her aftershocks. It took a few minutes until her body finally relaxed. 

“Bill, kiss me.”

Bill stood and leaned over her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, then grabbed the back of his neck and tugged him down to her where she kissed him deeply, tasting herself on his lips. She was wholly satisfied and was determined to make him feel as good as she did. She reached down to undo his belt when Bill suddenly grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head again. She looked at him confused. He kissed her, thoroughly, then smiled at her and caressed her cheek. “I’m just getting started.” He had a smug expression on his face but Laura didn’t mind.

He kissed his way from her neck down between her breasts, pinching one nipple, then the other, dragging his tongue to her naval. He then kissed a trail from her naval to below her right hip, where he began nibbling, sucking, and kissing her skin, leaving another mark. As he did this, he let his fingers wander down between her legs where he circled her wet entrance. 

Laura closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she began to feel warmth spreading from her middle throughout the rest of her body. Bill continued to circle her entrance with his finger, occasionally slipping the tip in just to torment her. He watched the expressions on her face – eyes closed, lips swelled and bright red. Occasionally her tongue flicked out and licked her bottom lip before she would lightly bite it. He began to slide his finger in a little further after circling her, she responded by arching her back and biting her bottom lip harder. When he pulled her thong to the side and teased her over-sensitized nub with his tongue, her right hand reached up to her hair where she grabbed at the roots, then slowly ran her fingers through it. He continued softly teasing her nub with the tip of his tongue as he slid two fingers into her and curled them to find her sensitive spot - she dropped her left hand down to her breasts and began to pinch her nipples as she angled her hips into his assault of her secret spot. It wasn’t long before Laura’s reality was obliterated when her second orgasm rumbled from deep within her and hurtled in waves throughout her body. This time she couldn’t even speak - screams of pleasure took over her vocal cords.

Bill stood and leaned over her once more, caressing her face with his left hand. Laura took his right hand and inserted his fingers into her mouth where she sucked off the juices that had come from deep within her. Bill closed his eyes as he focused on her tongue swirling around his fingers and the pressure of her lips, letting his imagination run free. Laura sensed he was thinking of a different body part receiving the attention of her lips and tongue, so she let her hand travel down to his belt buckle again. She quickly undid the buckle and lowered his zipper, slipping her hand inside of his boxers. She cupped his balls, then stroked up the length of his hardened shaft where she ran her thumb along the top of his cock, smearing a large amount of pre-cum across the tip.

Bill snapped back to reality and gently removed her hand from inside his boxers, bringing it to his lips where he inserted her moistened thumb inside his mouth. Laura pouted because she had hoped to taste him just as he had tasted her. He grinned, then kissed her. “I’m not done.” He had every reason to be smug.

This time his lips travelled directly to her right breast where he pushed her bra cup to the side and began lightly biting, kissing, and sucking at her skin just above her nipple until he had created yet another mark. He then slid down her body, pulled her thong aside, parted her folds, and blew gently on her overheated core. Laura was not ready for that sensation, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her hands slapped the top of the desk. Bill then kissed her nub, drawing it into his mouth where he began to gently suck on it. Laura’s hands balled into fists, pounding them on top of the desk as Bill increased his pressure, drawing her further into his mouth. “ _He is relentless”_ she thought to herself and then, with hardly any warning, Laura felt her back arch in an involuntary spasm before it came crashing down to the desktop as her third orgasm shattered her entire body, leaving her limp, barely conscious, and unable to speak.

Bill leaned over her and took her in his arms, staring down at her with concern in his eyes. “Laura, are you OK?” He hugged her and kissed her all over her face as she stared at the ceiling, eyes glazed over, not able to focus. Eventually she blinked a few times, looked up at him, and cleared her throat. “Never been better,” she replied with a blissful smile.

“Can you sit up?”

“No, I don’t think so, not yet,” she said dreamily.

Bill quickly zipped his pants, then scooped Laura up in his arms, walked to the sofa and sat down, holding her tightly in his lap. ‘Are you cold?”

“No, not cold.”

She leaned into his chest with a soft smile on her face, eyes still somewhat glazed over. “Let’s put this blanket around you anyway” Bill said as he tugged at a throw on the edge of the sofa and placed it over her shoulders.

“OK,” she agreed lazily and snuggled further into his arms.

They sat in silence for a while, Bill kissing her forehead occasionally and rubbing his hand on her back.

“How are you feeling?”

“Mmmmm, spectacular.”

Bill lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. She stared back at him and he saw nothing but contentment. She was more relaxed than he had ever seen her. “That must have been some orgasm,” he chuckled.

She slowly blinked at him and smiled. “Absolutely mind-blowing, Bill.”

They stayed on the sofa for several minutes, Laura snuggled against Bill’s bare chest as he caressed her back until she drifted off to sleep. He let her snooze for a few minutes, then decided to wake her and suggest they would both be more comfortable in his rack.

“Of course, you’re right. But I can’t stay, Bill. I have a 7 a.m. meeting with the quorum tomorrow and I can’t delay it because I need to inform them of the adjustments we made to the rationing rules tonight,“ she said as she yawned. “Gods I wish I could stay.”

“Me, too,” he said before he pressed a light kiss to her lips. She turned slightly to face him and tenderly caressed his cheek, then kissed him again.

“Can you stand yet?”

“I’m sure I could use a little help.”

Laura saw the smug look return to Bill’s face again, but she didn’t care. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. She placed her feet on the floor and he helped to steady her as she stood up. When he began to rise from the couch, she lost her balance. Bill caught her with a surprised look on his face.

“I want you to know I’ve never swooned like this over anyone,” she giggled.

“You going to be alright getting back to Colonial One tonight?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Do you really want the hangar deck crew and raptor pilot wondering why you are stumbling around? Might make for some unpleasant gossip.”

Laura raised her eyebrows and slowly nodded her head. “Could _you_ take me back?”

Bill lifted her hands to his lips, lightly kissing her knuckles. “I would love to, Madam President.”

***

Bill piloted the raptor to Colonial One, happy to deliver the president safe and sound although she was still a bit unsteady on her feet. After noticing the hangar deck was empty, Bill made a split-second decision and scooped Laura up, carrying her off the wing.

She shrieked and giggled “That’s some service, Admiral! Are you going to carry me all the way to my bedroom?” she asked coyly.

“I’m not a young man anymore, Madam President, but I will make sure you get tucked in properly for the night,” he promised.

Tory was working in Laura’s office when she heard laughter coming from the press room. She glanced at her watch right as Bill and Laura stepped through the curtain.

“Oh, Tory, you’re still up!” exclaimed Laura.

“Yes, Madam President, I thought I would go over our notes one last time since we meet with the quorum so early in the morning. I’m just finishing up, so let me get out of your way. Goodnight, Madam President. Good night, Admiral Adama.”

Tory stepped through the curtain into the press room and smiled to herself. _Interesting that the Admiral came back to Colonial One with her this late at night._ Just then Tory heard Laura laugh, not a giggle, but a full-blown belly laugh. She couldn’t have felt happier for her president as she left the room and walked to her quarters.

***

“Bill, seriously, I owe you twice now.”

“Actually four, not that I’m counting.” Laura grabbed Bill’s arm as she doubled over with laughter. “To be honest, you don’t owe me anything. You’ve given me so much already, Laura.”

“Mmmmm, Bill, I imagine you’ve driven several women crazy like that over the years.”

Bill shook his head. “No, not like tonight. You’re the only woman who matters to me anyway.”

Bill’s words touched Laura. She rested her hands on his shoulders and stared deep into his eyes. They stayed that way, holding each other, smiling, until Laura glanced at Bill’s mouth, then kissed him. One kiss, then two, then another until she lost count – that was easy to do when she was kissing William Adama.

“I should get back to Galactica. It wouldn’t be good if the cylons showed up and I was in Colonial One making out with the President.”’

Laura giggled. “Right, cylons, I sort of forgot they existed for a while tonight. Oh – we completely forgot about dinner!”

Bill laughed and the smug look returned to his face. “Good night, Laura. Let me know how your meeting with the quorum goes in the morning.”

“Good night, Bill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to take a turn in the next chapter. It can't be all happy fluff and sexual situations, can it?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura begins to realize some things, and it doesn't make her very happy.

The meeting with the quorum ran smoothly, in fact, the best it had ever run. Laura was able to quell any concerns about rations the delegates had, happily answering all their questions, even joking with a few of them which put everyone at ease. For the first time since they had created this quorum, everyone left the meeting chatting enthusiastically with smiles on their faces.

After the delegates left, Tory turned to Laura with a big smile on her face. “Well, _that_ went well!”

“It really did, didn’t it!”

“Madam President, you were amazing!”

“Thank you, Tory. You certainly did your part as well and deserve just as much credit as I do.”

Tory was taken aback by Laura’s compliment. “Thank you!”

“Didn’t you tell me the other day you were working on ideas about redistributing manpower for services so that we could free up more time to train volunteers for civilian jobs?”  
  


Tory couldn’t believe her ears. She had been working on her ideas for a few weeks, but Laura was always preoccupied with some other fleet issue and it had repeatedly been pushed down the priority list. “Yes, Madam President, I have some ideas that I think could help.”

“Would you like to go over them now? We don’t have anything else on the schedule for the next few hours, do we?”

“Actually, Vice President Zarek asked to postpone his weekly meeting with you, so you are free until lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan, let’s do this!”

A few hours later Laura sat back in her chair. “Tory, your ideas are wonderful! You’ve really put a lot of thought into this and spent a lot of time on it. I am impressed!”

“Thank you, Madam President.” She couldn’t help but smile and stare at Laura.

Laura noticed her prolonged stare. “Oh, my goodness, do I have something on my face?” she giggled.

“No, Madam President. You just seem so… _happy_ today” Tory chose her words carefully.

“You know, I _am_ really happy today. Do you think I’m normally unhappy?”

“Oh, no, I just meant that you seemed to really by in synch with the quorum today and – “

“It’s OK, Tory. I’m just messing with you,” Laura grinned.

Tory relaxed and smiled. “Do you really think my ideas are that good?”

“They are terrific, and I think you should be the one to present them to the quorum at our next meeting.”

Tory beamed. “Thank you, Madam President! I can’t tell you how much this means to me. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get started on the presentation right away, but I need to grab a few things from my quarters.”

“Don’t let me keep you, you are free to go, plan, be brilliant!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Tory gathered her things to leave but then stopped. “Can I share something with you?” she asked softly.

“Of course, what is it?”

“It’s kind of personal.”

Laura nodded her head for Tory to sit down and continue.

“I wanted to let you know that I’m really happy for you, for both you and Admiral Adama,” she said nervously. “And you don’t need to worry about me saying anything. I can help you fly under the radar of the quorum and the press. I’m more than happy to help anyway I can.”

Laura smiled appreciatively at her. “Thank you, Tory. That means a lot to me and I’m sure I’ll be asking for your help occasionally. I’m glad that you know, but how did you figure it out?”

“Uhh, you are _way_ happy today,” she said raising her eyebrows and nodding her head as a huge smile erupted across her face.

“Sort of obvious?” Laura asked as she wrinkled her nose.

“Oh, yeh!”

“Maybe I should tone it down a little?”

“Maybe just a little, but not too much. It’s good to see you like this.”

Laura quickly ate lunch, then had meetings the rest of the day straight through until late in the evening. She hadn’t found time to call Bill to let him know how well the quorum meeting went. After she turned in for the night, she placed a call to Galactica.

“Good evening, Admiral. Are we on a secure line?”

“Give me a moment. OK, we are now. Missed you today.”

“Me, too. I wanted to call you earlier but got stuck in meetings until well after 9 p.m.”  
  


“How did the meeting with the quorum go?”

“Best meeting we’ve ever had. No problems, none whatsoever.”

“Really? How did that happen?” he asked incredulously.

“I’ll give you _three_ guesses or maybe I should give you _three_ hints. Here’s the first – you had a lot to do with it.”

“How so?”

Laura rolled her eyes. “Bill, _think_.”

“ _Sometimes men can be so thick”_ she thought to herself.

When he didn’t respond, Laura said “OK, OK, here’s the second hint – I was very happy today, and when I say very happy, I mean verrrrrry happy.”

Bill laughed into the receiver. “What you’re really saying is that your happiness has resulted in something positive for the entire fleet. Your needs were met, therefore, the entire fleet benefited.”

“I like the way you think, Bill. Can you imagine how much more the fleet would benefit if the head of the military had his needs met, too?” she asked innocently.

“I imagine the cylons would disappear forever, we would find earth and it would be filled with rivers of ambrosia, mountains of chocolate, and fields of coffee beans. Everyone would settle and start making babies, I would help you build a little cabin by a stream in the mountains where we would retire, surrounded by the best weed in all the galaxy, reading mystery novels to each other as we grew old.”

“Mmmm, sounds wonderful. What are we waiting for?”

The next morning Laura had a quick meeting on Galactica with the daycare teachers. It wasn’t her responsibility to guide them on educational content for the children, but she enjoyed providing input because she had always loved being involved in education, first as a teacher, then ultimately as Secretary of Education. That was one of the few fond memories she had of New Caprica, teaching children again.

Laura had a few minutes to spare so she decided to make her way to Bill’s quarters, hoping to speak with him, just because. When she arrived, he was meeting with Colonel Tigh, Major Adama, and Mr. Gaeta for a routine briefing.

“Good morning, Madam President,” greeted Saul.

“Good morning, gentlemen. Admiral, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I can stop by some other time.”  
  


“We just finished, unless anyone has anything else to add.”

The three men shook their heads, so Bill dismissed them. 

“Don’t be a stranger, Major Adama,” Laura said as Lee passed by her.

“It’s not intentional, Madam President, just been busy with CAG duties.”

“I understand. I would like to speak with you soon – do you have time later this morning?”

“Yes, I believe I do.”  
  


“Good, can you let Tory know? It will only take about 15 minutes or so.”

“I’ll do that, see you then.” Lee stepped into the hallway, consciously closing the hatch to his father’s quarters behind him.

“Is your visit business or pleasure?” asked Bill as he sat down at his desk and began signing some reports.

“You could say both. I met with the daycare teachers on Galactica this morning and am happy to report that they are doing some wonderful things with early childhood development.”

“Good teachers are a blessing and we’re fortunate to have several in the fleet. What grades did you teach before you were Secretary of Education?”

“Pretty much everything from elementary through middle school at various times.”

Bill looked up and let out a low whistle. “You were a middle school teacher?” He chuckled. “I hate to think where I’d be right now if I had a middle school teacher that looked like you. I would have intentionally flunked a grade just so I could stay in your classroom another year.”

“Bill! I am very aware of what goes through a boy’s mind, and I handled them all very well. Didn’t flunk a single one.” Laura glanced up and to the left. “Well, maybe just one. Come to think of it – oh never mind.” Bill sat grinning at her knowingly.

“Do you have dinner plans?”

“I will check with Tory and let you know. If I’m available then I’m all yours,” she replied with a flirtatious smile.

Bill sat back in his chair and rested his chin on his hand as he looked at Laura. He didn’t say a word - he didn’t have to for Laura to know what he was thinking.

“Bill, you’re doing it again - looking at me like a horny middle school boy. I asked you not to do that.”

“You said not to do it while you addressed the press.” He looked around the room. “There’s no one else here.”

Laura put her elbows on Bill’s desk and rested her chin on her clasped hands as she narrowed her gaze at him over the top of her glasses. Bill finally conceded the stare down with a sigh. “Now I know. I never would have made it out of middle school. I’d be the dumbest admiral in the history of the fleet!”

Laura snorted and giggled, then transitioned to a hearty laugh.

“I like hearing you laugh like that. The way your face lights up, the sparkle in your eyes, I feel so lucky that you share that side of you with me.”

“I have been laughing a lot more lately. Must be the company I’m keeping,” she replied.

“Maybe. We’re also in decent shape with the fleet right now. You seem much more relaxed, especially compared to when I first met you.”

Laura thought back to the day of the decommissioning ceremony on Galactica and the first time she met Bill. That was the day she was told she had inoperable cancer, discovered that President Adar had low expectations of her and had been ordered to resign as Secretary of Education, and then was sent to deal with a grumpy military man that she thought was stuck in the past and needed to retire. Bill was right, she was a very different person then. “I was having a bad day when we first met,” she stated with a frown.

“Was I that awful?” Bill tried to joke with Laura. When she didn’t respond he said “It turned out to be the worst day for everyone when the cylons attacked.”

Laura wasn’t listening to him. She couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about how utterly unhappy she was at that point in her life, how empty she had felt inside. She was unable to see it at the time but now she recognized that she was in a depression spiral and had been since the terrible accident that claimed her family. She had done some questionable things back then, things that were making her extremely uncomfortable as she sat in front of Bill thinking about them. First there was Sean Allison, then several other men that meant nothing to her, and then the affair with President Adar - a very married, immensely powerful man, one she had willingly gone to bed with regularly without thinking twice about it. She hadn’t felt a single emotion for him, not even when he died during the cylon attack. She recognized a pattern that she had failed to realize before as she sat in front of another powerful man that she had recently become involved with.

Bill could sense the major shift in her mood. “Laura?”

“Excuse me,” she said quietly. And just like that, Laura left Bill’s quarters, pushing him away, desperate to distance herself from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always kind of wondered why it was so hard for Laura to love. This chapter has my take on one of the possibilities and will be further explored in the next chapter. In my opinion, it has always been more than just the cylon attacks, her cancer, and being tossed into the role of president (although, all of that is a ton of stuff).


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura confronts her grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to give credit to a few musical artists. I use a line from an early 1970s Hall and Oates song (see if you can find it!). I also drew inspiration from "Breaking Inside" by Shinedown.

Laura returned to Colonial One with a headache. She made her way to her office where she took some pain killers, then sat at her desk with her head in her hands waiting for the medicine to kick in.

“Madam President are you feeling OK?” asked Tory when she entered the room. 

“I’ll be fine, just a slight headache,” she replied trying to appear as if it was nothing more than a minor annoyance. “What’s on my schedule for the rest of today?”

“You are free for the next 20 minutes, then Major Adama is going to meet with you. Vice President Zarek will meet with you shortly afterwards and it looks like he set up a lengthy meeting that will last until 3 p.m. - sorry about that. There are a few messages from civilian ships regarding the rationing modifications, so I had planned for you to make phone calls and address those from 3 to 5 or 5:30. You are open for dinner and the rest of the evening. Not too bad of a day.”

“Thank you, Tory. If you don’t mind, I’d like to just sit here until the pain reliever starts to help.”

“No problem, Madam President. I can work in the press room so that I don’t disturb you. Are you sure you’re OK?”

“I’m fine, thanks for your concern. Please send Major Adama in when he arrives.”

“Will do.”

Laura sat quietly at her desk rubbing her temples trying to get the pain to subside. She took deep breaths to help her relax but her mind kept dredging up how miserable her life was after she lost her family. It suddenly struck her that she had never genuinely dealt with her grief - it took the cylon apocalypse to force her to move out of the rut she had become stuck in. She had stopped living the day her family died. She quit going out, found excuses to avoid friends, threw herself into work, had meaningless relationships with men, and built an almost impenetrable barrier around her heart for fear of losing anyone again. The pain she experienced when her sisters and father were suddenly taken from her was so great that she had semi-consciously decided that she wouldn’t allow that to happen again. Only two people, Elosha and Billy, were able to get closer to her than anyone else had since the accident. After each of their deaths, her heart fractured further, something she hadn’t thought possible. Laura laid her head down on her desk, much like school children do when they take a rest break. She focused on releasing tension as she exhaled. It wasn’t helping.

Lee entered her office and cleared his throat when he saw her with her head on her desk. “Madam President?”

Laura looked up and put her glasses on. “Hi, Lee, please have a seat. I have a headache, nothing to worry about.”

“Would it have anything to do with my father?” he asked.

Laura smiled, “No, not this time.” She had always appreciated Lee’s directness and it amused her that he naturally assumed his father would be the source of her headache. “I’m assuming Bill spoke with you about helping out with Baltar’s trial?”

“Yes, Madam President, he has. I don’t see how I can do that given my duties as CAG.”

“I understand, and I didn’t ask you here to pressure you. I wanted to let you know that the reason I thought of you in that role is because you are particularly good at recognizing right from wrong and you are willing to fight for what is right even when it is the most difficult thing to do. You stick to your principles and you are fair. I wish there were more people like you in politics and the legal system.”

“Thank you, Madam President. I feel honored that you think so highly of me.”

“Let’s stop with the formalities right now, I have too big of a headache. Call me Laura, please.”

“Laura, I don’t feel I deserve your praise. I haven’t always done what’s right.”

“Name one time you’ve done something for your own personal gain that didn’t benefit the fleet in any way.”

“You have met my father, the Admiral, right? I’m sure he’d be happy to give you a comprehensive list,” Lee said half-jokingly.

“Lee, your father loves you. Outside of normal father-son disputes, I doubt he would have any complaints.”

Lee thought for a moment before speaking. “Did you know that I didn’t talk to him at all after Zack died? Not until the day of the decommissioning ceremony. And what I said to him that day was cruel, the worst thing I have ever said to him.” Lee looked down at his lap and shook his head. “I told him that he killed Zack. I was so angry and bitter after my brother died and instead of dealing with my grief, I projected it onto my dad. And he let me do it, he took it. I knew he felt some responsibility for Zack’s death, but I took _all_ of it and put it on him. I never wanted to see him again. The really twisted thing is that it took the cylons to force us back together and for me to realize he had little, if anything, to do with what happened to Zack. There’s nothing I can do to get that lost time back with him, nothing I can do to take away the pain I inflicted on him with my harsh words. I not only lost my brother, he lost a son, and then he lost his other son when I walked away from him. Laura, I have so many regrets when it comes to my dad. I wasted so much time and energy on hurting him and he didn’t deserve any of it. Instead of blaming him and pushing him away, I should have been holding him close that whole time.”  
  


“Lee, everyone deals with grief in their own way. Some people lash out like you did, others become deeply depressed, some try to hide from it, and there are those that are resilient and can grieve and move on. One thing I know for sure about Bill is that he has a big heart. He has an amazing capacity to forgive.”

“I realize that now. After Zack died, we should have been sharing our grief and supporting one another so that we could eventually accept what happened and move on. But it’s impossible to move forward together when one person runs away. Now we live day to day not knowing what tomorrow will bring, if there will even be a tomorrow. I look back on everything, at my life before the cylons attacked, and I realize that I was such an idiot. None of us can afford to waste any time.”

Laura was astounded by Lee’s awareness. She smiled at him and nodded her head. “That’s very insightful. I wish someone had told me that a long time ago.”  
  


“I’m sorry, Laura. Did you lose someone you were close to?”

Laura took a couple of deep breaths and looked past Lee. “Yes, I’ve lost a few people, before the cylons ever attacked. I didn’t handle my grief...properly _.”_

“Would you like to talk about it…with me?” Lee gently inquired.

“No,” she replied as she continued looking past him.

“I didn’t mean to pry – “

“No, that’s not it. Someday we can talk about how we both did a lousy job of handling our grief. It’s just that there’s someone else I should speak with first,” she explained. Lee nodded his head and they both sat in silence for a while, quietly reflecting about lost loves ones.

“Lee, I need to thank you – you’ve helped me realize some things, and my headache seems to be going away.”

“I’m glad I was able to help, and I feel I should thank you for letting me get some things off my chest. I’ve thought about this a lot over the past few years, and I appreciate being able to talk to someone about it. I should get back to Galactica now – I left Starbuck in charge of some nuggets and she can be a handful.”

“Before you go, don’t ever forget that your father does love you, and he is also very proud of you.”

Laura met with Tom Zarek for the next few hours - he was tolerable for a change. Tory had told him the President was under the weather with a headache, and he acted as if he was genuinely concerned. Laura made a mental note that she may need to always have headaches whenever she met with the Vice President. Afterwards, she made half a dozen calls to various ship captains and answered questions about rations. Finishing up at 5:15, she decided to secure a raptor to Galactica to visit Bill. After her talk with Lee earlier in the day, she realized that Bill deserved an explanation for her unusual behavior. She felt she was taking a risk by going to him and telling him about her life before the day they met, especially when it came to her poor decisions in her personal life. She wanted to open up to him, but it was not going to be simple. If she ever planned on having something other than a purely physical relationship with someone again, she needed to be honest and deal with her grief and her past decisions. She thought about Bill and how she had let her craving for physical intimacy overtake her better judgment. He was indeed a powerful man, the military leader of the last 40,000 people in existence. But, unlike President Adar, she enjoyed spending time with Bill, and they shared similar interests such as their love of mystery novels. She was genuinely fond of him. She was uncertain how he would react to the ugly baggage of her life; it was possible he would back away from her and suggest they return to a purely working relationship. “ _He has a big heart and an amazing capacity to forgive”_ she reminded herself. Still, she decided not to go into his quarters with any expectations regarding the future of their relationship.

Bill had returned to his quarters from the CIC around 5:30. He had not heard from Laura regarding dinner plans and had thought of her often throughout the day, wondering what had caused the dark cloud that formed around her as they talked about the first time they met. He picked up the phone and asked to be put through to Colonial One to speak with the President.

“Admiral Adama, how can I help you?” asked Tory when she answered the call. 

“I would like to speak with the President.”

“She just left – can I take a message?”

Bill thought for a moment. “Did she have dinner plans?”

“None that I know of, sir.”

Bill sighed. “No message, Tory.”

Bill heard a knock at the hatch, then Lee stepped through. “Admiral, I have a disciplinary report to turn in.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. One of the nuggets took a swipe at Starbuck today and it was enough of a punch that I feel the need to make an example of him.”

A slight smile appeared on Bill’s face. “Starbuck sure knows how to push them.”

“This time she didn’t do anything excessive. Just some tempers flaring, you know how it is.”

Bill nodded his head. “Did you meet with the President today?”

“Yes, I did briefly this morning.”

“How was she? Did she seem OK to you?”

“Are you pumping me for information about the President? Why don’t you ask her?”

“I would if I could find her.”

Lee thought back to his talk with Laura. He didn’t want to betray too much of their conversation because he valued his friendship with her. “She had a headache but said she was feeling better after we spoke. I got the impression that she may be planning on talking with you soon.”

“About what?”

Lee stared at him. “Dad, talk to her.”

Bill frowned and took the disciplinary report from him.

As Lee was leaving, Laura appeared outside of Bill’s quarters. “It’s good to see you again, Lee,” she said as she reached for his hand and held it. Bill noticed the obvious affection they had toward one another and it put his heart at ease.

“I’m happy to see you, Madam President.” He glanced at his father, then back to Laura, and whispered “Moving forward?”

She smiled warmly at him. “We’ll see. Taking that step.”

“You have a good evening.”

“Good night, Lee.”

“It’s good to see you,” Bill said when Laura entered his quarters, noticing that she carefully shut the hatch behind her.

Laura smiled at him but did not move toward him. “It’s good to see you, too. Do you have time to talk?”

“Sure, would you like some dinner? I hoped to hear from you earlier, but I haven’t ordered my food yet if you would like to join me.”

“Can we talk first?”

Bill suddenly felt uneasy and walked to his drink cart. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine. No alcohol for me tonight.”

Bill decided to abstain as well and motioned for Laura to join him on the sofa. He sat next to her but didn’t say a word.

“Bill, I want to explain my actions from earlier this morning.”  
  


He reached out to hold Laura’s hand, but she scooted away from him, just out of his reach. He furrowed his brow, worried about what she was going to say. “Laura, please tell me what is going on.”

“I have to tell you some things and I don’t want you touching me while I say them. I tend to get really distracted when you touch me,” she explained with a small smile on her face.

Bill studied her curiously. “Please continue.”

Laura took a deep breath to calm her nerves and force herself to speak. “You don’t really know anything about my life prior to the decommissioning ceremony. If you were to ask people on this ship what the single most pivotal day was in their lives, I’m betting most would say the day of the cylon attacks. That’s not true for me – it was a day years before the cylons returned. You know that when I was in college, I lost my mother to breast cancer.”

Bill nodded his head.

She took a shaky breath as she nervously rubbed her palms on her legs. “Several years after that, I lost my entire family – my father, and my two younger sisters.” Laura brushed a tear that was threatening to fall from her eye and sniffled. “I wish you could have known them, Bill. My sisters were beautiful, and they were my best friends, and my father was so generous and loving,” Laura managed to say before her voice cracked with emotion.

Bill suddenly stood and made his way to the drink cart as Laura followed him with her eyes. He returned with two glasses of water, setting one on the coffee table in front of her along with the handkerchief from his pocket before he returned to his seat.

Laura smiled at him with watery eyes. “Thank you, Bill.” After a sip of water and a few dabs at her eyes with the handkerchief, Laura was able to compose herself. “My sister Sandra was 8 months pregnant with my nephew and she and Cheryl, my littlest sister, had just had a baby shower at my apartment. My father picked them up to drive them home, and on the way, they were hit by a drunk driver. All of them, including my unborn nephew, were killed in an instant.” Laura closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She had never spoken those words out loud, the people that were her friends at the time all learned about the accident from the news and people she met later had heard about it through gossip, but never directly from her.

Bill felt as if he had been punched in the chest. He wanted to embrace Laura and comfort her, but he forced himself to stay put.

“That’s the day I stopped living, the day my world ended.”

Bill understood all too well. He was no stranger to that level of pain having experienced it firsthand after Zack’s tragic accident. It had almost suffocated him. He imagined how horrific it would be to have one’s entire family wiped out.

“I never truly dealt with my grief. At first, I quit going out, found excuses to avoid my friends, and began to take on more work to bury the pain. I kept telling myself it was temporary but after a while, I suppose I just got comfortable doing that. I was afraid to get close to anyone because I didn’t want to risk losing anyone again. Because of that, I became numb to everything around me.” She sat forward on the sofa, anxiously rubbing her fingers together. “A friend set me up on a blind date and I threw myself at him, hoping to feel _something_ , _anything_. It didn’t work and I was ashamed afterwards.” Her voice was shaky again. “There were others – “  
  


“Laura, you don’t have to tell me. I understand. I had some…similar experiences after Zack’s death.”

It hadn’t occurred to her that Bill may not have dealt with his grief in a healthy manner, either. _Common ground_ she thought to herself. Is this part of the reason she and Bill were attracted to each other, because of these unspoken indiscretions?

“There is one you need to know about.” She paused to find the courage to continue. “I was involved with President Adar right up until I came aboard Galactica for the decommissioning ceremony.”

Bill took a deep breath, then decided to refill their water glasses to give him time to process what she had told him.

“A married man, the most powerful man in all the colonies. I was using him as much as he was using me, but for different reasons. I didn’t care and I felt absolutely nothing for him. The morning of the attacks, I was told by a doctor that I had inoperable metastatic breast cancer and would likely be dead within a year. It angered me for a few minutes, but then I quickly became numb again. After I left the doctor’s office, I met with a teacher’s union representative where I managed to negotiate an end to the teacher’s strike. When I told President Adar about my accomplishment, I discovered that he had actually expected me to fail. He demanded my resignation because he said my successful negotiation put him in an awkward position. I told him I was going to the Galactica decommissioning ceremony and when I returned, I was prepared to fight for my job.”

“This morning you mentioned the day we first met, and I was reminded of how empty I was at that time, how depressed I had been in the years following the deaths of my father and sisters. I suppose deep down inside I knew it, but I never allowed myself to admit it or do anything about it. It was easier to hide from my pain and pretend that nothing was wrong. And then I thought about how you are now the most powerful man to all the colonies, and how the cycle of my life is repeating itself because of the physical relationship we are now engaged in.”

Bill shifted on the sofa, bracing himself for what she was going to say next. He expected her to tell him that what they had done was a mistake and should never happen again. He could hear her voice inside his head saying, “ _Let’s go back to the way things were”._

“This morning Lee and I spoke about losing people we love and how we have both done a poor job of dealing with the grief in our lives. He’s a remarkable young man, Bill, but I think you already know that. After I thought about things more thoroughly, I realized that you are not President Adar, not even close. You and I have things in common and I genuinely enjoy the time I spend with you. Adar was a bastard and nothing else. But you – I respect you and cherish our friendship. I’m sorry I pushed you away this morning. I care about you, Bill, and I hope that you feel the same way about me. I needed to tell you these things so that I can begin to heal and so you and I can move forward together, if you are interested in doing that.” 

Bill didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until after she finished speaking. He exhaled in relief. He was also very aware of a warmth spreading in his chest, something that he noticed several weeks ago whenever he spent time with Laura. This was more than a physical relationship to him, although he wasn’t willing to fully admit it to himself until now. 

“Laura, I respect you and I enjoy our time together, even when we are just sitting here talking with each other. I care for you, too, and I want you to continue to be a significant part of my life.” Bill purposefully held back the full extent of his feelings. He sensed how difficult it was for her to tell him about her life and knew that she needed time to be able to trust what he felt and return those feelings.

“I experienced some similar things when Zack died. For a while I felt numb, focused solely on my career, built a wall around my heart. I didn’t even talk to Lee or try to spend time with him. That’s a large part of the reason he was so angry with me – I abandoned him. That’s one of the dangers of being numb – it’s so easy to hurt others when you can’t feel pain.”

“Have you spoken with him about it?”

“We’ve had a few conversations here and there, but not as much as I’d like. He still carries some anger towards me because of my divorce from his mother. I don’t think we’ll ever be as close as we should be. At least we can be in the same room together now - that wasn’t the case a few years ago. I think he knows that I love him.”

“He does, I told him that you do. But it would mean more coming from you.”

Bill smiled at Laura. “I suppose it would. Thank you for telling me about your family – I know that couldn’t have been easy for you.”

“Bill, you don’t seem numb or distant like you described. What made you change?” she asked curiously.

“I got tired of being alone.”

Laura stood up and walked to her briefcase that she had set inside the entrance to his quarters when she arrived earlier. She reached in and pulled out a photograph, then walked to the end of the sofa and sat down next to Bill. “Bill, these are my sisters Sandra and Cheryl, and my father David,” she said as she pointed to the picture of herself with her family, everyone standing with their arms around each other, carefree smiles from a happier time. She placed her hand on his, smiled, and asked “Would you like to have dinner with me now?”

A few hours later they were on the floor in front of the coffee table filled with empty plates and water glasses. The picture of Laura with her family was propped up against a framed photo of Bill with Zack and Lee from when they were children. They had eaten dinner together and shared stories about their families, laughing at the silly ones, crying at the sad ones.

Bill sat with his back to the sofa and his arm around Laura as she leaned into his chest with her arm draped across his waist, enjoying the closeness and security of one another.

“This reminds me of our night on New Caprica,” she said. Bill hugged her a little tighter. “I felt a connection with you that night, something I had never experienced with anyone before.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head as she spoke.

“I felt our connection that night, too.” He thought for a moment. “I’m really glad I didn’t ruin it by acting on other feelings I was having that night.”

Laura sat up straight and looked at Bill. “What do you mean, what other feelings?” she said with a curious smile on her face.

Bill felt a warmth on his neck but was unable to control the blush creeping up to his face.

“Admiral Adama, are you blushing?”  
  


Bill couldn’t hide it. “I wanted to kiss you, a lot, all over in the dark. Typical guy stuff when lying next to a beautiful woman.”

Laura started giggling. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What would you have thought of me?” he grinned back.

“Hmmmm, I might have thought you were being fresh with me.” She tapped her lips with her fingers as she thought. “Maybe I would have thought your mustache felt pretty good as it tickled me in all the right places,” she said as she slowly traced her lips with her index finger. She pondered some more then squinted at him. “Or maybe I would have thought I better tear your uniform off and have my way with you before you disappear back to Galactica and forget about me!”

Bill laughed. “I could never forget about you. You liked my mustache?”

“Yes, sir, I certainly did!”

“Maybe it should make a reappearance.”

“I’ll be looking forward to that,” she said, then she placed his palm on her cheek and leaned into it. He pulled her to him and brushed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“Could we have dinner again soon?” she asked.

“We can have dinner whenever you want, every night if you can. I’d like to spend as much time with you as possible. I’m hoping you feel the same way.”

“The feeling is very mutual,” she said with a friendly smile as she gazed into his eyes. “Let me help you clean up our dishes, then I should go.”

Bill picked up the pictures of Laura with her family and of him with his sons to move them out of the way. He stared at the pictures, then walked to a shelf in his quarters that contained other framed photos. After looking them over, he picked one up and removed the photo inside of it. Laura had just finished cleaning the coffee table when Bill came back to her.

“Laura? Maybe you’d like to have this,” he said as he held the empty frame toward her. She hesitated because she recognized the frame as one that she always admired, one that held a photo of Zack and Lee as small children. “I can’t take that, Bill. You need it for the photo of your boys.”

“No, go ahead, I have another frame that I think it will fit in. Your family photo will look great in this,” he said as he slipped her photo into the frame and turned it over. “See, look how good it looks in here.”

Laura looked down at her family photo and noticed how the flecks of green color in the frame brought out the green color of everyone’s eyes, emphasizing the love that had been captured by the photographer among her family that day. She looked up at Bill with wide eyes as tears began to form. When she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. He pulled her to him, embracing her gently but firmly, feeling her sob against his chest. They stayed that way for a long time, Bill occasionally kissing the top of her head and caressing her back. Eventually Laura was able to compose herself. She stepped back from Bill and brushed the tears from her face. “Thank you, Bill. This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me.”

“I have other frames if you would rather have a different one – “

“No, Bill, this one is perfect. It’s all perfect.”

“ _You’re perfect”_ she thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up until now, Laura has considered Bill a "friend with benefits". Yes, she likes him, but she was not allowing herself anything beyond that because of the shield around her heart. They both mutually agreed to satisfy their physical needs, but Bill has realized that it is more than that for him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter. ;)

The next day was filled with meetings and Laura was unable to rearrange her schedule so that she could spend time with Bill. She was exhausted but decided she would call him when she turned in for the evening. She had begun to realize that she didn’t like to go very long without hearing his voice.

“Good evening, Admiral.”  
“It’s good to hear from you, Laura.’

“Bill, is this a secure line?”

“Of course.”

“I really missed you today,” she sighed. “I tried to arrange my schedule so that I could spend some time with you, but a couple of my meetings ran long, and I couldn’t break away. What are you doing right now?”

“Just lying in my rack reading, hoping you’d call.”  
  


“Are you by any chance reading a mystery novel?”

“As a matter of fact -”

“Did you just start? Can you read it to me?”

“I’m a few pages into it already. Maybe with the proper persuasion, I could be convinced to start over.”

“Oh, you need to be persuaded. I see…” She was silent for a minute as she thought.

Bill heard the rustling of covers and a few muffled noises and he thought maybe Laura had drifted to sleep. “Laura, are you still there?”

“I’m right here, Bill,” she replied breathlessly. “Mmmmmh” she hummed into the receiver. 

“Are you OK? What are you doing?”.

He heard her hum again, then she gasped. “I’m persuading you to start over,” she whispered.

“Are you – “ Bill stopped mid-question when it occurred to him that Laura was engaging in a self-gratification scenario.

“Yes, Bill,” she replied, then groaned into the receiver. “Oh my Gods that feels so good…”

Bill sat slack jawed in his rack. He cleared his throat, then said “Tell me precisely what’s happening.”

“Why don’t you guess?” she teased.

“As the Admiral of the fleet, I need to know if the President is safe or under some sort of attack.”

“I see, like one of those military decisions. Well, Admiral, let’s just say I’m releasing some tension after a long day and persuading you to read to me, although I wouldn’t really call it _proper_ persuasion…ohhhh, mmmmh…”.

Bill closed his eyes and pictured Laura writhing on her bed touching herself. He set the book down on his nightstand and then rubbed his hand over the outside of his boxers. “ _I can’t believe we’re doing this”_ he thought to himself. He heard Laura moan again and whisper “I’m getting close, Bill, sooo close…”

He suddenly moved his hand away from his shorts. He didn’t want manual fulfillment – he wanted to be with her, inside of her. It was excruciating to deny himself his release, but he forced himself to think of how much better it would be to wait and have Laura next to him. “That’s it, Laura, get rid of that tension,” he coaxed in a whisper. Right after he spoke, he heard her climax, muffling her scream with her pillow. “Let yourself down easy, ride it out, relax,” he said in as soothing a tone as he could muster while still very aroused from what he had been listening to. 

Eventually Laura’s breath evened out and she sighed into the phone. “Bill, have you been properly persuaded?”

“Completely. Chapter 1.” Bill started from the beginning but after a few pages into the novel, he heard light snoring coming from the phone. “Sweet dreams, Laura.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura discovers Bill's secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter for this time frame of the series. I fully intend to add a companion piece or two, set a few episodes ahead of this one.

The next day Laura met with a few of the delegates and had a quick press conference to provide updates on the success of the new rationing rules. She met with Vice President Zarek and then watched Tory do a practice run of her presentation and offered some feedback. She then placed some calls to ships to deal with general complaints and suggestions about various things. Around 4 p.m. she asked Tory what was next on the agenda and if she would be able to have dinner with the Admiral.

“You have a meeting with Delegate Cantrell until 5. I hope you don’t mind, Madam President – I took the liberty of rescheduling this evening’s meetings for tomorrow morning so that you are free for dinner and the rest of the night.”

Laura smiled at her. “Thank you for doing that. Could you please schedule a shuttle to Galactica for me so I can dine with the Admiral this evening?”

“Already done. I also packed an overnight bag for you, just in case…”

“You’ve thought of everything. I can’t thank you enough, Tory, that’s very thoughtful.”

Laura met with Jacob Cantrell, but her mind kept wandering to Bill. She noticed the more her thoughts drifted to him, the more she felt a sensation in her chest, sort of a little twinge. Bill was the type of man she would have introduced to her family, which was something she had only done a few times back in Caprica City. She pictured her dad with him talking about the latest pyramid scores and her sisters peppering her with questions, surprised that she would date a military man, the strong silent type. He was quite different from other men that she had dated, and that was a good thing. He wasn’t the slick fast-talking egocentric man that she had been drawn to in the past. Bill was genuinely thoughtful, warm, considerate. He was rugged, burly, and had amazingly thick wavy hair that she loved to knot her fingers in. Not to mention that talented tongue of his. Laura caught herself and forced her thoughts back to what Jacob was saying. She glanced at the clock and was happy to see it was almost 5 p.m. When the clock hit 5, Laura said “Jacob, it’s been great talking with you, but I have another engagement and need to be on my way.” She grabbed her briefcase, the overnight bag that Tory had packed, and headed toward the hangar deck to catch her shuttle to Galactica.

Laura sat in the back of the raptor as it made its way to Galactica and all she could think about was Bill. “Can this go faster?” she asked the pilot.

“I’m sorry, Madam President, I didn’t realize this was urgent. Would you like me to call ahead for priority landing?”

“No, I mean, it’s not urgent. It just seems like this is taking longer than usual.”

“Not really, Madam President. We’re almost there.”

Once the raptor was secured in the hangar deck and the hatch opened, Laura grabbed her bags and quickly made her way out of the vehicle and off the wing. She made the long walk to Bill’s quarters in record time. After exchanging greetings with the marines stationed outside the door, she walked in and dropped her bags to the floor when she saw Bill. 

He started to say “Laura –“ but his words were cut off by the bruising kiss she planted on him. She nibbled his bottom lip, caressed his tongue with hers, ran her fingers through his hair, and pressed her body hard against his. She continued her blitz of him until her need to devour him was under control.

“Gods I needed to do that” she murmured. 

Bill laughed “It’s good to see you, too.”

“Bill, does it bother you that I’m overtly sexual when I’m alone with you?”

“Are you kidding? I have no complaints, none whatsoever,” he chuckled. “Not exactly what I would have guessed about you, though, when you were arguing with me about networking the ship.”

“What _would_ you have guessed?”

“That you were prim and proper.”

“Prim and proper?! I’m insulted by that,” she retorted as she lightly slapped his arm. “ _I’ll show you prim and proper”_ she thought to herself.

“I’ve ordered dinner for us already, should be here any minute. Did you bring some work with you?” he asked as he looked toward her briefcase and overnight bag.

“No, I just got out of a meeting and had my briefcase with me, the other is an overnight bag that Tory packed. She cleared my schedule so that I’m yours all night, assuming you want me to stay,” she said as she playfully batted her eyes at him.

There was no need for Bill to ask if this dinner was going to be business or pleasure. It was obvious that it was all pleasure, and they were both going to fully enjoy each other. There was a knock outside the hatch – the food had arrived.

As they sat and ate, Bill noticed the way Laura chewed her food. He watched the muscles in her jaw clench and the way she would lick her lips sometimes between bites of food. He watched her tongue slowly drag across her bottom lip then switch to the upper lip and do the same. Occasionally she would glance at him, and he knew she noticed the way he was mesmerized with her mouth, but she didn’t comment on it. She sat there eating her food in silence, looking back at him every so often like a cat ready to pounce.

They moved onto dessert, a weird algae concoction that was supposed to mimic cake with some icing on top. Laura picked at it with her fingers, then slid her thumb in her mouth to lick off the fake icing. As she slowly withdrew her thumb, she made eye contact with Bill. He had never been so turned on watching someone eat. He quickly ate his dessert and watched her as she picked at hers, repeating the process of putting her thumb in her mouth and slowly sliding it out. He expected her to finish and pounce on him, wanted her to stop what she was doing and have her way with him, but she drew it out agonizingly slow. “Mmmmmhh, that’s so good,” she said in the same tone she used on the phone the night before. 

When she finally finished, she used her napkin to dab at her lips, then stared at him from across the table, not saying a word.

Bill swallowed hard. “Are you done?”

“I’m just getting started,” she replied with a smug look on her face. “Why don’t you clear the table while I slip into the head and get ready for bed.” Laura walked to her bags and retrieved the one Tory had packed. She then carried it to the head, Bill’s eyes on her the entire way. He couldn’t help but stare at her hips in her tight skirt and her flawless legs as she walked away from him.

He didn’t care that it was only 7 p.m. He quickly cleared the table and wiped it down, then found the book he had been reading to Laura the night before and sat in his rack, looking at the pages, but not really reading.

Laura looked at the mirror in the head and fiddled with her hair trying to decide if it would be better up or down. She unzipped the overnight bag and began to rummage through it. She noticed some green fabric inside of the bag with a note pinned to it. “I traded some things for this and thought you might like it – Tory” the note read. Laura pulled the garment from her bag to find a jade green silk and lace babydoll. She held it up and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, admiring the way it matched her eyes and contrasted with her auburn curls. The bra cups were pure lace, leaving nothing to the imagination. 

She removed her clothing and slipped the babydoll over her head. It was short, but just enough to cover her front and bottom. It definitely showed off her legs. She decided to put her hair up to help emphasize the neckline and her cleavage, leaving wispy curls along the sides to soften the look. She ruled out panties – they weren’t going to stay on long anyway. After taking one final look in the mirror, she stepped out of the head and saw Bill reading in his rack.

“Bill,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Bill looked up to find Laura leaning against the wall just outside of the head. For the second time in as many nights, he sat slack jawed in his rack. He looked at her from head to toe before he stood up and moved toward her. She met him halfway and looked into his eyes as she moved her hands underneath his tanks and pulled them over his head. She pushed against his chest backing him up to the bulkhead beside his rack, grabbing a pillow from the sofa on the way. Once his back was against the wall, she dropped the pillow to the floor, kneeled on it, and undid his belt and zipper as she looked up at him. She quickly yanked his pants and boxer shorts down to his ankles and let him step out of them, then tossed them aside. She was determined to reciprocate; nothing was going to get in her way tonight.

Running her hands over his thighs, she switched her focus to his balls. She lightly kissed them, then ran the tip of her tongue from the bottom until she reached the base of his shaft where she placed a soft kiss. She looked up at him, then closed her mouth over his balls and watched as he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. She removed her mouth and whispered, “Watch me, Bill.”

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She continued teasing his balls with the tip of her tongue, then she would take them into her mouth. His cock was throbbing and a huge drip of pre-cum was beginning to slide down his shaft. Laura used her thumb to swirl around the head and gather as much of it as she could, then inserted her thumb into her mouth and slowly withdrew it, just like she had while eating dessert. She suddenly stood and pressed her lips to his, then thrust her tongue inside of Bill’s mouth so that he could taste himself. Bill shuddered, then groaned as their tongues tangled. “Stay with me, Bill” she ordered before she dropped back down to her knees. She continued to massage his thighs, tease his balls with her mouth and tongue, and then began to slide the very tip of her tongue up the length of his shaft along his throbbing vein, but stopping before she reached the head of his cock. 

Bill reached down and grabbed her head, wanting so badly to feel her mouth completely on his cock, but settling for twisting his fingers in her hair. Laura opened her mouth wide and covered Bill’s shaft with it, careful not to touch any part of him with her lips or tongue. Once he was fully inside of her mouth, she closed her lips tightly around the base and pulled upwards in one smooth firm stroke.

Bill’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he groaned “Gods, Laura”. She quickly established a rhythm of sucking him into her mouth and swirling her tongue around the tip of his cock. It didn’t take long before he felt he was losing control, so he lightly pushed Laura’s shoulders down. “I can’t hold on much longer. I want to be inside of you.”

She stood and kissed him. “This wall looks pretty good,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

They switched positions so that her back was against the bulkhead. Bill lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist and then, after a brief pause and a kiss, she slowly lowered herself onto him.

Bill had expected that the first time he entered Laura, it would be amazing. He had no idea that beyond the physical pleasure he would also experience a profound emotional reaction, one that he had zero control over. When they joined together as one, his mind opened and his heart burst, spilling out the passion that had been lingering there all along. He knew that he wholly belonged to her – he was in love. It was so obvious to him now - he questioned why he wasn’t able to see it before. He closed his eyes and held her tight, his mind overcome with emotion.

“Bill, look at me,” she whispered. Laura was determined to look Bill in the eye as he frakked her against this wall, just like in her dream from a few nights ago. Except this was better than she had ever imagined, he stretched her so much she was on the line of pleasure and pain, her body needing several seconds to accommodate him.

He didn’t move but continued holding her tight as he rode the high of his epiphany. He knew that if he opened his eyes, Laura would see him, truly see what he felt, and he knew she was not ready for that yet. He kept his eyes closed and buried his face into her neck.

“Bill, what’s wrong, look at me,” she pleaded. When he didn’t budge, she used her hand to move his face in front of hers. “It’s OK,” she whispered.

“No, Laura, I can’t, you don’t want to see me,” he warned her.

She placed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Please, Bill, don’t hide from me,” she said as she caressed his cheek.

He hesitated, but then took a deep breath and reluctantly opened his eyes.

When Laura looked into them, she saw something she had never seen before. It was raw, pure, and powerful. Bill’s secret was on full display and it terrified her. Time stopped as she stared at him and old familiar thoughts began to swirl inside of her head. _Don’t let him get too close_. _You’re just using each other. You’ll be broken when he leaves you._ She was tempted to surrender to those thoughts much like she had done the past several years.

Lee’s words came back to her. “… _it’s impossible to move forward together when one person runs away from the other one._ ”

Then her conversation with Bill. “ _What made you change?”_

_“I got tired of being alone.”_

Her thoughts suddenly grew crueler. _He only feels this way because the worlds ended. None of this is real. The simplest thing to do is walk away. You’re taking orders from a school teacher? Your cancer will move straight to your heart. I’m terminating your presidency as of this moment._

_“NO_!” she screamed inside her head. She remembered her words to Bill on New Caprica: _I think we should all look at every moment of every day from now on as borrowed time and people should live the lives that they want to live before it’s over._ Laura placed a soft kiss to Bill’s lips. When she pulled back, the thing that had frightened her was silently beckoning to her. She dove into the deep blue oceans of Bill’s eyes, frantically swimming toward it. The taunts increased the closer she got but she didn’t cower, growing more determined as she went. When she arrived at her destination it was suddenly quiet - she found peace, a serenity that enveloped her like a warm cozy blanket.

Laura kissed Bill lightly all over his face. “Can you turn and sit down on the bed?”

Bill hugged her tight and was able to step away from the wall, turn around, and rest on the edge of his rack, all while still inside of her. She gently pushed him down, then they both maneuvered together so that he was on his back and she was lying on top of him.

She gazed knowingly into his eyes again as she stroked his face, then brushed her lips against his before kissing him everywhere, around his face, along his jawline, down his neck, and then lightly nibbling his ears. She slowly began to move her hips in a rhythm that traveled the full length of him and back, feeling every inch of him, delighting in the intimacy of the slow and deliberate pace. Gradually her pace increased, and she pushed herself up to ride him more thoroughly. She pulled the babydoll over her head so that she was completely naked to him and then removed the band from her hair so that it fell to her shoulders.

Bill was spellbound watching Laura undulate atop him. He noticed a different light in her eyes, a determined look but a peaceful one. A bead of sweat traveled all the way down from her hairline to rest on her right nipple where he brushed it away with his thumb, causing her to gasp. He slid his hands to her waist and held her so that he could thrust deeper into her. She reached one hand down to his chest to steady herself when their rhythm grew stronger and faster. Bill could feel her inner walls begin to clench around him, so he used his thumb to tease her nub and watched her as she closed her eyes and let her head fall back, fully enjoying their intimate dance. 

Laura opened her eyes and looked down at him as he continued to thrust into her and stimulate her with his thumb. She was panting as she rode the currents of their mutual desire to her peak, then she screamed his name and fell on top of him. He grabbed her around the waist and quickly rolled them both over so that he could pound deep into her as her orgasm rippled throughout her body. She wrapped her legs around him and grabbed his ass to help him plunge even further, then, after a few more thrusts, Bill lost all control and spilled everything he had deep inside of her.

Laura pulled Bill to her lips and kissed him thoroughly. After they broke the kiss to come up for air, Bill gazed into her eyes as he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. He wasn’t going to hide his feelings from her again. “Laura, I need to tell you something,” he whispered.

Laura smiled at him and lightly touched her finger to his lips. “I already know - I can see it, feel it. I was scared at first, but I’m not anymore.” 

“You deserve to hear it, too. I love you, Laura. I love the color of your soul. I’ve felt this way for a long time but it took me a while to admit it to myself,” he confessed. “I don’t expect you to say anything because I know you aren’t ready. I’ll be patient – I’ll be here for you.”

A tear fell from her eye as she held his face with her hands looking deep into his eyes as she spoke. “I’m right here, exactly where I need to be, where I _want_ to be, with you. You’re right, I’m not ready yet, but I will be someday. I just need a little more time.” She kissed him again and smiled up at him.

He rolled to her side, then pulled her close. She snuggled against him and they clicked into place, fitting together perfectly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "About time." I've often thought maybe there was more to that statement than we knew, so this was my take on it. Bill had already confessed his love to Laura and was patiently waiting for her.


End file.
